3-Year Old Well-Child Check

The morning after Brady's trip to the ER, I took him and Aaron to their 3-Year old check up. I recruited Alaina to come with me as a helper. She demonstrated how to step on the scale, stand against the wall for the height measurement, and stick out your tongue while opening your mouth and saying "ahhhhh". She also guarded the door because, while one brother is being examined, the other usually tries to make a run for it back to the waiting area.

Here's how it shook out:

Aaron:
Height - 37.5", 50th percentile
Weight - 29.5 lbs, 25th percentile (!)
Brady:
Height - 38 1/4", 60th percentile
Weight - 30 lbs, 30th percentile (!)

There is some discussion about the accuracy of the height measurement. The PA thinks Brady was standing up straight while Aaron was slouching. The pediatrician thinks Brady was on his tippy-toes while Aaron was straight so...I'm not sure which measurement is correct - or if it's somewhere in between - but in reality, they are exactly the same height.

The big story here is weight. At their 2-year check up they were both in the 10th percentile so the jump is a great improvement, and a bit of happy surprise. They both consistently eat well (that is, they eat foods that are good) but they don't eat a lot. I would say they each consume one regular-sized meal per day. The rest of the time, they pick a bit and move on. The pediatrician told me that since they are gaining at a healthy rate and they are eating the right things when they do eat, not to stress. They are not starving between meals and they are not waking up hungry at night. So, just keep offering them good things and when they're hungry, they'll eat them.

Their eyes checked out fine and Aaron passed his hearing test in both ears. Brady passed in one ear and then, surprise!, had an ear infection in the other ear. We had no clue! So, we have to bring him back in three weeks to re-check the hearing in that ear.

No vaccinations this time but I was delighted to find out we would be having something even MORE fun: all three kids had their fingers pricked for a lead test. Brady was very brave (following his ER visit the night before) but Aaron and Alaina pretty much lost their minds. Aaron because it hurt and Alaina, mostly, because she went last and Aaron was already screaming. The boys' results were fine but Alaina has to go back in three months time to be re-checked. I'll let Brian take her to that one as I almost got a black eye while trying to hold her this time around.

Brady's Birthday Surprise

The good news is that on Brady's birthday, he received a rare evening alone with both Mommy AND Daddy.

The BAD news is that it was in the Emergency Room where he also received his first set of stitches. Yes, I say first, not because I wish harm to my child but because he is an active 3-year old boy with three active siblings. Odds of returning to the ER again in the next few years = 100%.

Anyway, here's what happened:
Brady was very excited to go for a birthday haircut. He got his shoes on his feet and shot out of his bedroom towards the kitchen at lightning speed...only his aim was off and he hit the corner of the wall at lightning speed instead, splitting his forehead right open and sending blood everywhere.

Brian was able to get a handle on the situation calmly, thank God. If it had been me on duty, I would have been on the floor, also needing medical attention.

When I arrived home minutes later, Brady is the calm one sitting on Brian's lap with a towel on his head, while Alaina is hysterical and Aaron is agitated (not crying, but describing the scene to me in detail and anxiously hopping up and down). Brett is ... going about his business like nothing has happened.  My parents arrived and we got Brady into the car. Once the bleeding slowed to the point where Brian could stop applying constant pressure, Brady was a champion.

(no, his face is not swollen, his cheeks are stuffed with apple - the healer of ALL boo-boos)

He was excited about the registration bracelet (a sticker!) and the band-aid he received in triage (another sticker!). He cuddled us and watched clips of Lightning McQueen and Toy Story on my iPhone in the waiting area. He tried to steal a female patient's flip-flops, to the amusement of her and her friend. Once we moved into the Suture Room, he was happy to color while he waited for the numbing cream to take effect.

Once the docs came in to stitch him up, I left the room so my fainting wouldn't interfere because the room was small and they needed space to work. Brady told Brian "all done! all done!" over and over again until he was, in fact, all done. The cut was very deep but it was also clean so he should heal up just fine. He said good bye to all the doctors and nurses and gave them (to their great surprise) high-fives on his way out.

Alaina waited up until 9:30 when we arrived home. Aaron stayed up late waiting, and ultimately fell asleep - but not without putting a snack on Brady's bed for him to have when he got home.

Brady proved to be a real trooper and was thrilled to find the snack when he returned.

Books 24-31

Whoops! Catch up time here...

24. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. Two Tolstoy books in a half-year, what's this girl thinking? But, it's a true classic from the 100 Books You Should Read in Your Lifetime list. I enjoyed it much more than "War and Peace" despite the fact (or maybe because) it was very long soap opera.

25. Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See. Wonderful. I definitely recommend.

26. God is Dead, by Ron Currie, Jr. I so badly wanted to love this book after reading "Everything Matters!" but I just didn't. I struggled to finish it and in the end and probably would not recommend.

27. Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. I give this one five stars. I loved it so much that if they make a movie version, I would never watch it for fear of ruining the memory of the book.

28. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I know, so soon after the Tolstoy books? I really got into this though. Classics tend to stand the test of time for a reason, you know?

29. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, by Daniyal Mueenuddin. This collection of short stories didn't really do it for me. I couldn't connect to the characters and often felt like every woman in the collection was the same person, just different name and slightly different circumstances. I didn't love it.

30. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens. This book was a requirement for high school graduation but somehow I made it through high school without ever being assigned this book to read. It is the one and only book Brian has ever said "you should read", so I did. And I'm glad. Dickens remains one of my favorites.

31. Too Much Happiness: Stories, Alice Munro. Another collection of short stories but this one I adored. I have gone back and added other Alice Munro works to my Kindle wish list as a result. I found her writing to be beautiful and the stories were wonderful.

Happy Birthday, Brady!

Dear Brady,

What a big boy you have turned into! You have come so very far this year. You are officially a pre-schooler now!

You have worked really hard this year with your speech therapists and your occupational therapists and the progress is so obvious. Your language skills and social skills have blossomed so much. You have so much more confidence in yourself and you are becoming more courageous every day. It seems to be making you a happier little boy all around.

You love to come upstairs in the morning, and climb into bed for a quick cuddle before the craziness of the day sets in. After that, you are off doing your own thing. You are shockingly independent these days. More so than I would have guessed you'd be a year ago! You love to play with your train set and you could ride your little bicycle around for hours if we'd let you. You also really love "popcorn and movie" nights.

You are a huge fan of "Ayna" and take great pleasure in receiving attention from her. You are also very protective of her (look out in high school!). You have started to become protective of Brett as well. Your intentions are good, although, occasionally you're rougher than you need to be when trying to stop him from doing something he's not supposed to!

Your best friend is still Aaron though. You have coined the phrase "Good boys" with him. Translated, this means he has something and you have something and now you think it's time to trade. It's pretty hilarious because right from day one, he knew exactly what you meant! You also taught Aaron to peddle his tricycle. He was struggling and you had it down. You walked over to him and spent a few minutes talking to him, and then...off he went!

You had a little trouble adjusting to a different room in play group, but once you got used to the place, you did just fine. You do very well playing with other children your age. Although, you would still prefer Aaron's company. When you are without him, you talk about him non-stop. But it's obvious that you really enjoy having the special one-on-one time with just Mommy (or just Daddy) when given the chance. 

Brady, the changes in you from two years old to three years old are overwhelming to think about. You have come SO far. And you are about 90% potty trained to boot!(You love to keep McQueen and Diego dry and clean all day! You are sweet, sensitive and adorable.  Next year will have it's ups and downs with school and just being three. But, if you are able to persevere like you did this year, you will do great!

I love you until it hurts me! Happy Birthday, Brady!

[MORE Brady: 2nd birthday, 1st birthday, Birth Story]

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Dear Aaron,

How far you have come this year. You have officially crossed the line from baby to big boy.

Last year at this time, you were struggling so much to communicate. Tantrums and frustrations were a way of life. Those days are now gone. Through a lot of hard work and determination, you have expanded your vocabulary and your imagination. You share your thoughts with us constantly. ALL THE TIME. Non-stop! Everything you observe, you comment on. You wake up in the morning, talking full-steam ahead. You come up in the morning with your cheery, heart-melting smile and proclaim "Get up Mommy!" "Get dressed Mommy!" "I want breakfast Mommy!" with more cheer than should be legal at 7 am.

You are a hugely positive child. Almost every question you are asked gets a response of "OKAY!" or "ALRIGHT!" Your smile can light up a room. Your new favorite phrase seems to be "Watch this Mommy, watch this!"

You are developing quite a sense of humor. You think it's hilarious to call Brady by your name. You love to be active. You've learned how to pedal your tricycle, you love to be in the water, you love to wrestle with Daddy and you love to dance with Alaina. You are getting so much better at playing with Brett, although it's usually reserved for when Brady is not around.

Brady is without question your "better half". You cuddle at night, you love to hold hands. You sit next to each other at dinner and then half way through, get up and switch seats. When you ask for an apple (which is about 10 times a day), you always make sure to get one for Brady too.

You learned to be without Brady this year though. Every Friday you went to play group in your own room. You have learned to make your own friends. You're developing your own interests. You love playing matchbox cars. You love coloring with crayons. You adore cuddling with Mommy and Daddy. We love it too.

Aaron, you have grown up so much this year, it's hard to capture it all here. The changes in you are astounding. You are a smart, articulate, happy little boy. And let's not forget, handsome too! You are going to have another huge year of change ahead of you, starting school, finishing potty training, and generally going through 3-year old stuff. But I know you will do well because you always WANT to do well.

I love you so much, I can't even stand it. Happy Birthday, Aaron!


[MORE Aaron: 2nd birthday, 1st birthday, Birth Story]

Three Years Later

When they were babies, they gravitated towards each other.

Three years later, they still do.


Happy Birthday, sweet boys.

The Best Surprise

I have never been surprised easily. Due to my natural curiosity, suspicious nature, and (to be honest) vanity, I usually manage to figure things like surprise parties and special gifts out in advance. Even if I don't KNOW about them, I highly suspect them. I can think of only two instances in my whole life when I was 100%, totally surprised.

The first was during a trip to England for my 30th birthday to visit my friend Elissa. Upon arrival at Newcastle airport, I was touched from behind. I turned around to see our mutual BFF, Lisa, standing there. What made this surprise appearance particularly shocking was that Lisa was one year into her Peace Corps service. In AFRICA. Clearly she was the last person I would have ever expected. Awesome!

But the best surprise EVER was the one my body managed to spring on me. I went for an ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. I was told in the first few minutes that the pregnancy was fine. What ensued was another 20 or so minutes of scanning, questioning, and second-opinion seeking until the ultrasound technician turned the screen to face me. She showed me the baby.

Then she showed me the other baby.

WHAT?

Those two little surprises turn three tomorrow. I still haven't experienced such a roller coaster of awe, shock, nausea, excitement, fear, joy and utter confusion as I did in that moment. Three and a half years later, it still stands as the best and greatest surprise of my life.

Brett's Big Day

Brett has been going to play group with Aaron and Brady for about 2 months now, and he loves it. Recently, his brothers graduated out of the program. Brett is fine with flying solo, but Aaron and Brady were pretty annoyed that they had to stop going. This made it hard for Brian to drop off just one child when three children wanted to stay.

We decided to try out the transportation option. The question was: would Brett go with a stranger willingly? Turns out, yes, yes he will.

And he will love it!

He will even blow the van driver a kiss!

Proof.

For the past year, I've closely observed Aaron and Brady, searching for that "twin bond". The sign that they are Best Friends Forever. When they were born, they naturally gravitated toward each other. And that connection was very apparent for their first 18-months. Then something changed.

As they navigated physical changes and explored new territory - including the addition of another brother - there have been a LOT of scuffles and skirmishes. There were still glimpses into the love they share: giggles in their room, a random cuddle. But it came with a lot of confrontation as well.

Lately, as we approach age 3, the affectionate displays are being more of the norm and less of the exception. And it is the greatest thing. As they are learning to communicate better, and they are getting a better sense of our family and their roles in it, they just seem to be more comfortable and relaxed. And they are enjoying each other's company and choosing to spend time with each other.

The one time during the week when they always separate is at play group. Every Friday morning, they go their own ways for two and a half hours. Brian has always assured me this is a peaceful parting. This morning he finally was able to capture the proof on video. THIS is the new norm:

(You'll want the sound on this one! And, yes, it ends with Aaron telling Brady "now go in your room".)

This Time, We're Serious.

We've dipped our toes into the potty training arena in the past with moderate degrees of success. And we've taken the approach that if the boys balk, we wouldn't pressure them. It was too stressful for them and too stressful for us.

But now that school is looming on the horizon, we're getting serious again. This works out well because Brady has decided he no longer wants to wear a diaper. Or pants for that matter, but that's a whole other story.

With the return of warm weather, we've placed the potty seat outside and have been letting the boys roam the yard free-willy style for the last two weeks. This has been working out great for Brady and so-so for Aaron (who prefers to remain clothed). Even Brett is showing a moderate interest.

Realizing, of course, that the au naturel approach may be offensive to our guests and is totally inappropriate when we go to other people's homes, we finally bit the bullet and invested in briefs. Teeny, weeny Thomas the Tank Engine ones.

Brady received them today with open arms.

(Yes, he IS the skinniest kid on the planet. And, yes, we feed him. A LOT.)

It will be a process, but this time, there is no turning back.